Sunday, March 30, 2003

It's Sunday and it's a beauty--bright and blustery.
Since it's Sunday, I figure I'll post up The War Prayer -
Mark Twain says it all.

The War Prayer
“O Lord Our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts,
go forth to battle—be Thou near them! With them – in
spirit—we also go forth from the sweet peace of our
beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help
us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells;
help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms
of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the
guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain;
help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane
of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending
widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out
roofless with their little children to wander unfriended the
wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst,
sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of
winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee
for the refuge of the grave and denied it –for our sakes who
adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract
their bitter pilgramage, make heavy their steps, water their
way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of
their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him
Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful
refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid
with humble and contrite hearts. Amen.”

Mark Twain

I have to say here that my sad cynicism in posting this prayer
is not about the kids we sent over there, or the people they
have been sent to battle against. It is a classic story, though,
that God is on "our side" and in His Name do we call it "just"--
as if "He" would approve of this horror and the aftermath...!

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